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The Elite 8 has nearly arrived! On Saturday evening, the top-seeded Florida Gators will take on the third-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second weekend of March Madness.
The winner gets to represent the West Region in the Final Four while the loser will go home until next fall.
Ahead of the NCAA Tournament action, CBS Sports writer Isaac Trotter produced a scouting report for the four games on the Elite 8 slate, including the Florida-Tech matchup. He does a great job breaking down the two teams to their fundamental elements in making his comparison.
"Florida club that trots out three guards and two bigs compared to Arkansas's avalanche of twitchy wings. That three-guard, two-big lineup is exactly what Texas Tech wants to do, too," Trotter points out.
"Texas Tech needs to make this a halfcourt game and play the matchup-hunting game. Darrion Williams is going to use inverted screens to try to find ways to match up onto Florida All-American Walter Clayton Jr. in the mid-post area and go to work as a play-finisher or play-creator. Veteran point guard Elijah Hawkins has to be awesome offensively against Florida's steady dose of drop coverage. Those pocket passes will be there to JT Toppin, and he should be able to settle into a few pull-up 3s. Hawkins has drained 38% of his 65 pull-up treys this year. He needs to make multiple to spring this upset."
On the other side of the coin, the Gators have a completely different approach.
"Conversely, Florida is at its best in chaos. These Gators want to turn defense into offense in transition and finish off possessions with 3s or lobs. Texas Tech has allowed just six transition points in the tournament's first three games combined. Florida can get that by the first media timeout if the Red Raiders aren't careful. Florida's guards are much thicker and stronger than Texas Tech's. If they're navigating wherever they want on the floor while also making Texas Tech's lead guards uncomfortable on the other end, the Gators should be in good shape."
"Also, if Florida can sniff that 39% offensive rebound rate that it averages throughout the season, it's winning this game. Point blank. End of story," Trotter declared.
However, Tech has an X-factor that could really mix things up on Saturday night.
"Chance McMillian's status is the major X-Factor here. The Texas Tech guard is toughing through an oblique injury. If he can go, Texas Tech's path to winning this game makes so much more sense. Texas Tech can have that net-shredder on the floor who can take advantage of a Florida defense that can occasionally lose snipers without sacrificing much defensively. Kerwin Walton, in theory, can do that, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. Florida will target him early and often off the bounce. If he can't hold up, Kevin Overton has to shoulder an even bigger role. He's a good shooter, not a special one like McMillian, and Texas Tech needs double-digit treys to beat a Florida team that should win the shot-volume game."
So, who does Trotter pick to win? Well, it depends: "If McMillian plays, Texas Tech. If McMillian is out, Florida is Final Four bound."
READ MORE: Expert predictions for Florida v Texas Tech in NCAA Tournament Elite 8
Florida and Texas Tech will face off on Saturday, March 29, at 6:09 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Kevin Harlan will be on the call for the TBS/truTV broadcast, with Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy as analysts. Lauren Shahdi will serve as the sideline reporter.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, not
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: March Madness: Scouting report for Florida vs Texas Tech in Elite 8
Continue reading...
The winner gets to represent the West Region in the Final Four while the loser will go home until next fall.
Ahead of the NCAA Tournament action, CBS Sports writer Isaac Trotter produced a scouting report for the four games on the Elite 8 slate, including the Florida-Tech matchup. He does a great job breaking down the two teams to their fundamental elements in making his comparison.
"Florida club that trots out three guards and two bigs compared to Arkansas's avalanche of twitchy wings. That three-guard, two-big lineup is exactly what Texas Tech wants to do, too," Trotter points out.
"Texas Tech needs to make this a halfcourt game and play the matchup-hunting game. Darrion Williams is going to use inverted screens to try to find ways to match up onto Florida All-American Walter Clayton Jr. in the mid-post area and go to work as a play-finisher or play-creator. Veteran point guard Elijah Hawkins has to be awesome offensively against Florida's steady dose of drop coverage. Those pocket passes will be there to JT Toppin, and he should be able to settle into a few pull-up 3s. Hawkins has drained 38% of his 65 pull-up treys this year. He needs to make multiple to spring this upset."
On the other side of the coin, the Gators have a completely different approach.
"Conversely, Florida is at its best in chaos. These Gators want to turn defense into offense in transition and finish off possessions with 3s or lobs. Texas Tech has allowed just six transition points in the tournament's first three games combined. Florida can get that by the first media timeout if the Red Raiders aren't careful. Florida's guards are much thicker and stronger than Texas Tech's. If they're navigating wherever they want on the floor while also making Texas Tech's lead guards uncomfortable on the other end, the Gators should be in good shape."
"Also, if Florida can sniff that 39% offensive rebound rate that it averages throughout the season, it's winning this game. Point blank. End of story," Trotter declared.
However, Tech has an X-factor that could really mix things up on Saturday night.
"Chance McMillian's status is the major X-Factor here. The Texas Tech guard is toughing through an oblique injury. If he can go, Texas Tech's path to winning this game makes so much more sense. Texas Tech can have that net-shredder on the floor who can take advantage of a Florida defense that can occasionally lose snipers without sacrificing much defensively. Kerwin Walton, in theory, can do that, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. Florida will target him early and often off the bounce. If he can't hold up, Kevin Overton has to shoulder an even bigger role. He's a good shooter, not a special one like McMillian, and Texas Tech needs double-digit treys to beat a Florida team that should win the shot-volume game."
So, who does Trotter pick to win? Well, it depends: "If McMillian plays, Texas Tech. If McMillian is out, Florida is Final Four bound."
READ MORE: Expert predictions for Florida v Texas Tech in NCAA Tournament Elite 8
How to watch Florida-Texas Tech in Elite 8
Florida and Texas Tech will face off on Saturday, March 29, at 6:09 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Kevin Harlan will be on the call for the TBS/truTV broadcast, with Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy as analysts. Lauren Shahdi will serve as the sideline reporter.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, not
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: March Madness: Scouting report for Florida vs Texas Tech in Elite 8
Continue reading...
